in antiquity, persons who fought generally in the arena at Rome, for the entertainment of the people.

The gladiators were usually slaves, and fought out of necessity; though sometimes freemen made profession thereof, like our prize fighters, for a livelihood. The Romans borrowed this cruel diversion from the Asiatics; and we find that the very high-priests had their ludic pontificales, and ludi sacerdotales. As from the earliest ages of antiquity we read that it was customary to sacrifice prisoners of war to the manes of the greatmen that fell in the engagement; in process of time they came to sacrifice slaves at the funerals of all persons of condition; but as it would have appeared barbarous to cut their throats like beasts, they were appointed to fight with each other, and do their best to save their own lives by killing their adversary.

Hence arose the masters of arms called lanista, and men learned to fight. These lanista bought slaves to train up to this cruel trade, whom they afterwards sold to such as had occasion to exhibit shows. Junius Brutus, who expelled the kings, was the first that honoured the funeral of his father with these inhuman diversions at the sepulchre of the deceased; but afterwards they were removed to the circus and amphitheatres; and other persons, besides slaves, would hire themselves to this infamous office.

They were all first sworn that they would fight till death; and if they failed, they were put to death, either by fire, swords, clubs, whips, &c. It was usual with the people, or emperor, to grant them life when they shewed no signs of fear. Augustus decreed that it should always be granted them.

From slaves and freed men, the wanton sport spread to persons of rank, as we find in Nero's time. And Domitian exhibited combats of women in the nighttime: we also read, that dwarfs encountered with one another. Constantine the Great first prohibited these combats in the East; but the practice was not entirely abolished in the West before Theodoric king of the Ostrogoths, in the year 500.

When any person designed to entertain the people with a show of gladiators, he set up bills in the public places, giving an account of the time, the number and names of the combatants, and the circumstances whereby they were to be distinguished; each having his several badge, which generally was a peacock's feather: they also gave notice what time the show would last; and sometimes gave representations of these things in painting, as is practised among us, by those who have anything to show at fairs, &c.

Upon the day appointed for the show, in the first place the gladiators were brought out all together, and obliged to take a circuit round the arena in a very formal and pompous manner. After this they proceeded, paria compnere, to match them by pairs, in which great care was taken to make the matches equal. The first sort of weapons they made use of were staves, or wooden files, called rudes; and the second were effective weapons, as swords, poinards, &c.

The first were called arma ludoria, or exercitoria; the second, decreteria, as being given by decree or sentence of the praetor, or of him at whose expense the spectacle was exhibited.

They began to fence or skirmish with the first, which was to be the prelude to the battle; and from these, when well warmed, they advanced to the second, with which they fought naked. The first part of the engagement was called ventilare, praeludere; and the second dimicare ad certum, or veris armis pugnare.

When any received a remarkable wound, either his adversary or the people used to cry out, Habet, or Hoc habet. If the vanquished surrendered his arms, it was not in the victor's power to grant him life; it was the people during the time of the republic, and the prince or people during the time of the empire, that were alone empowered to grant this boon. The two signs of favour and dislike given by the people were, premere pollicem, and vertere pollicem; the former of which M. Dacier takes to be a clenching of the fingers of both hands between one another, and so holding the two thumbs upright close together, was a sign of the peoples admiration of the courage shewn by both combatants; and at the same time for the conqueror to spare his antagonist's life: but the contrary motion, or bending back of the thumbs, signified the dissatisfaction of the spectators, and authorised the victor to kill the other combatant downright for a coward. The emperor saved whom he liked, if he was present at the solemnity, in the same manner.

After the engagement, several marks of favour were conferred on the victor, particularly a branch of palm-tree; and oftentimes a sum of money, perhaps gathered up among the spectators: but the most common rewards were the pileus and the rudis; the former being given only to such gladiators as were slaves, for a token of obtaining their freedom; but the rudis seems to have been bestowed both on slaves and freemen, with this difference, that it procured the former no more than a discharge from any further performance in public, upon which they commonly turned lanista: but the rudis, when given to such persons as, being free, had hired themselves out for these shows, restored them to a full enjoyment of their liberty. See PILEUS, RUDIS, and LANISTA.